What's in Season: Watermelon Radishes

What's in Season: Watermelon Radishes

I was recently at my local farmers market when I noticed these beautiful watermelon radishes. I've had them in salads before — they're absolutely gorgeous and add a tremendous amount of color to a dull-looking meal — but have a hard time finding them in person.

The watermelon radish has the crunchy texture like other radishes, and are peppery — like regular radishes — on the outside, and sweeter towards the middle. On the outside they appear to look like turnips or baby daikon radishes — they're actually an heirloom version of the daikon — and they can be prepared like them, too. You can cook them (braised, sautéed, mashes, fried, etc.) and serve it as a side dish, or you can serve them raw in salads, sandwiches, or as garnish.

Look for radishes that are firm and without any bruises. For a milder flavor, wash and cut radishes, and store in an ice-water bath several hours before serving. Also it's good to note that the intensity of the flavor will decrease the longer it sits around, so eat them up as soon as you can!

I tried one at a farmers market recently. It's very pretty but I wasn't impressed. It was a bit like eating Jicama, lots of crunch but no real flavor. Seems like it would make a great garnish to look at but not necessarily eat.